Ive got a 32Gb Sandisk flash drive Ive been given as "broken" by a mate, however it seems to have some kind of write-protection on it that I cant get round.  

Does anyone have any suggestions?  Ive done the first 4 pages of google results, and none of the solutions work that I can find.  Many different little apps, none of them do a damned thing!


edit :: Data doesnt matter, its all backed up elewhere.

have you tried a low level format program ?

one fixed a 1gig usb drive for me before when nothing else would work....

tho i guess that doesent help if yours is write prtected..... doesent it have a switch on it somewhere ?  maybe its broken ?

The Switch has been tried both ways, it still comes up write protected.  It wont format, just says I can get stuffed.  Im wondering if booting up from an install disk then formatting the drive that way might work?  Its obviously a software setting, so that should sort it?

doesnt format in Linux either :\

isnt the write protect of flash drives a hardware thing ?

Im pretty sure I remember reading something like that...

Quote from: knightyisnt the write protect of flash drives a hardware thing ?

Im pretty sure I remember reading something like that...

up to a point, but according to the guy I got it from it works on his laptop, but not on anything else.  Thats no good to him, so he gave it me!  Its a £70 drive, so I want to try and get it back working.  He tried talking to corsair, and they said the stick tests out all ok as well, so were assuming its a software setting.  

A setting he can revert from the laptop only perhaps ?

Quote from: bearA setting he can revert from the laptop only perhaps ?

possibly, except his laptop is now in Calgary with his soon-to-be ex-wife.  

well, does he know what application was used to lock the drive ? maybe you can install the same app and try to get in that way ?

Quote from: bearwell, does he know what application was used to lock the drive ? maybe you can install the same app and try to get in that way ?

I asked him this, and he doesnt think he used anything.  His lappy was on XP Home, so its not even like the advanced security options are there.  :\

Im going to try the booting up from a Windows install disk, and format it I think.  I cant think of any other way thats brute force enough!

You could try Hirens bootCD it has password crackers etc.

http://www.hirensbootcd.net/

Or is it just a bad connection on the switch? does it just need a bit of soldering or de soldering?

Quote from: XEntityOr is it just a bad connection on the switch? does it just need a bit of soldering or de soldering?

Yes, I thought of that as a possibility as well.